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IP2 stands for Information Power Squared. Because one of the fundamental qualities of excellent leaders is the ability to use information powerfully, the IP2 Leadership Program provides students voluntary opportunities to reinforce and advance their ability to locate, evaluate, and use information to pursue personal interests, to solve problems as a member of a group, and to write and present scholarly ideas.
Students apply for admission to the IP2 Leadership Program. Admissions criteria encourage students with solid academic standing to challenge themselves academically and to be active in campus leadership and community service. In each area — academics, campus involvement, and community service — students earn "credentials" through successful completion of projects designed to cultivate their ability to find and use information in a variety of contexts.
The program is designed to capitalize on courses students can or must take in their programs of study and on activities on campus and/or in the community in which students are often already involved. The difference is participants in the IP2 Leadership Program enhance their participation and abilities through applying Information Power . . . and Information Power creates Leaders.
Besides developing their leadership ability, students who receive full admission to the IP2 Leadership Program and remain in good standing will receive a $500 annual academic scholarship (payable by $250 per semester) and students who earn the necessary credential in the three areas will graduate with the President’s Award for Student Leadership, an honor bestowed at graduation and recognized with an honor cord, certificate, and notation on students’ official transcripts. Ideally, student engagement in the three areas of the IP2 Leadership Program will foster a climate that engenders greater engagement for an increasing number of students — in that way too, participants serve as leaders.
Students applying for acceptance in the IP2 Leadership Program must complete the IP2 Leadership Program Application Form and submit it to the Director of Student Life by the 15th of each month for prompt review by the IP2 Leadership Program Admissions Committee. Application forms are available on the TU website or in the Student Life Office in the Campus Center. Participation is not complicated, but it takes some tracking to make sure participants earn credentials in each of the three areas — academics, campus involvement, and community service. The information that follows explains what participants must do in each area, and all forms needed to guide you in applying Information Power to your activities are available on the TU webpage link above. Staff and faculty can assist in explaining the IP˛ Leadership Program to you and will assist you in designing the IP2 Challenges that help you earn credentials. For further questions, you may contact Director of Institutional Assessment, Crissie Grove, cgrove@thomasu.edu, or Director of Student Life, Tracey Olsen-Oliver, toliver@thomasu.edu.
Transfer students may acquire points towards credentials in all three areas based on academic performance and community service experience prior to enrolling at TU. They must document these using the application form. Transfer students may receive up to four points for Campus Involvement/Leadership Experience and four points for Community Service. To qualify for the IP2 Leadership Program as a transfer student, you must have 45 or more transfer credits.
The IP2 Leadership Program Admissions Committee (made up of the Director of Assessment, faculty and staff) first grants qualified students Probationary Admission. Students seeking Full Admission continue to participate in Campus Involvement and Community Service, documenting IP2 Challenges (see below) with each activity to accumulate points while they complete the Core Curriculum Transformer Courses. If they meet the criteria below, they are granted Full Admission and receive the $500 annual academic scholarship while they complete their degree at TU. The IP2 Leadership Program Admissions Committee uses the IP2 Leadership Program Tracking Form to track participants’ progress each semester, and will continue to track participants’ throughout their TU experience by semester.
| Probationary Admission | Full Admission |
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| Probationary Admission | Full Admission |
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Students in the IP2 Leadership Program earn credentials in three areas — academics, campus involvement, and community service.
Students will earn the Academic Credential by...
"Successful completion" is defined as achieving competency or mastery on QEP assessment rubrics plus course grade of A or B.
Surge Courses and Faculty/Student Research Courses
Each major program has designated two upper division, three or four credit hour courses beyond the introductory level of a discipline to be Surge Courses (see chart below). These courses generally have a broad appeal, few prerequisites, and the possibility of being taken as an elective by someone in a different major, although some courses and programs of study necessitate a more exclusive approach (e.g., genetics, education, business, etc.). In addition, students can register for a Faculty/Student Research course in their major program (talk to the Division Chair about this possibility).
Designated Surge Courses
| Degree Program | Surge Courses |
| Bachelor of Science Degrees | |
| Business | Accounting: BUS 400, BUS 303 Marketing: BUS 469, BUS 362 Management: BUS 449, BUS 342 General: BUS 332, BUS 330 |
| Biology | BIO 401, BIO 412, GLY 305 |
| Criminal Justice | CRJ 370, CRJ 410, CRJ 420, CRJ 460 |
| Early Childhood Education | EDU 468, EDU 400 |
| Middle Grades Education | EDU 468, EDU 400 |
| Secondary Education | EDU 468, EDU 400 |
| Liberal Studies | Elective from other program offerings |
| Medical Technology | MDT 452 |
| Nursing | NSG 370, NSG 450 |
| Psychology | PSY 340, PSY 351, PSY 410, PSY 440, PSY 450 |
| Social Sciences | HIS 361, HIS 404, ANT 303, STA 450, STA 471 |
| Social Work | SWK 315, SWK 370 |
| Bachelor of Arts Degrees | |
| Humanities | ENG 330, ENG 311, ENG 312, ART 304, ART 305, ART 306, MUS 333, MUS 337 |
| Liberal Studies | Elective from other program offerings |
| Social Sciences | HIS 361,HIS 404, ANT 303, STA 450,STA 471 |
Each Surge eligible course and Faculty/Student Research course will teach and measure the following Information Power Squared standards:
The student with Information Power evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system. The student:
articulates and applies initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources.
synthesizes main ideas to construct new concepts.
compares new knowledge with prior knowledge to determine the value added, contradictions, or other unique characteristics of the information.
The student with Information Power, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. The student applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance.
Each Surge eligible course and Faculty/Student Research course requires students opting to take the course to earn the academic credential in the IP2 Leadership Program to demonstrate these outcomes through the following activities. Only students who elect to take the course for the academic credential are required to do all the activities in the manner described below.
1) Scholarly Paper
Surge students will have to write a paper with 7-8 pages of text (not including the title page or references) using at least five scholarly references. Surge student papers must be submitted at the end of each semester for an on-campus e-publication, and they may also be submitted to a professional journal for publication. E-publications will be evaluated by an External Review Panel made up of faculty and/or professionals in the community using the Scholarly Paper Assessment Rubric to determine whether they merit the award of points toward the IP2 Leadership Program.
2) Multimedia Presentation
This will be an extension of the research paper and must include the manipulation of digital text, images/video and/or audio, and any relevant data. It must be presented at the Surge Symposium at the end of the semester and may be submitted/presented to a professional organization/conference off campus. Symposium presentations will be evaluated by an External Review Panel made up of faculty and/or professionals in the community using the Multimedia Presentation Assessment Rubric to determine whether they merit the awarding of points toward the IP2 Leadership Program. The Surge Symposium is open to the campus community and larger community and gives students in the IP˛ Leadership Program an opportunity to share their information and highlight students’ scholarly accomplishments at TU.
Workshops to provide students instruction on writing a scholarly paper and making a multi-media presentation will be held the beginning of each semester for students taking Surge Courses or Faculty/Student Research. The professors of designated Surge Courses are not expected to include this instruction in the course; the workshops will be conducted by the Academic Resource Center (ARC), library, and other campus services.
Credentials for volunteer work are earned through Campus Involvement and Community Service. Although some activities may be considered as both, students may only receive credentials in one area or another for any single activity. The IP2 Leadership Program relies on the premise that a chief qualification of leaders is the ability to use and communicate information effectively in various contexts. The program encourages students’ participation in campus activities and community service in and of itself, but students earn the credential only by demonstrating their “information power” while engaged in those activities.
Students will earn the Campus Involvement Credential by
Students will earn the Community Service Credential by
IP2 Challenges for Campus Involvment
IP2 Challenges must be done for every activity in order to receive credentials for the IP¬2 Leadership program. To earn points in Campus Involvement, students must demonstrate their ability to find, use, and share information effectively in the campus activity in which they are involved. As club/team members or volunteers, they will earn points by designing, successfully accomplishing, and documenting an IP2 Challenge that enables them to demonstrate the following Information Power Squared standards:
The student with Information Power pursues information related to personal interests and applies it. The student
Students work with the Director of Student Life, Director of Assessment, or Campus Involvement Supervisor (coach, club/organization advisor, etc.) to design their IP2 Challenge using the IP Leadership Program Challenge Plan. They will determine a specific project that will enable them to expand their understanding and/or involvement in campus leadership by seeking and using information. Through the plan, students outline what they will investigate and strategies for locating, evaluating, applying and communicating the information in ways that will be useful to the individual or the group. At the conclusion of the project, students will write an IP2 Challenge Executive Summary summarizing their information and experience.
Accomplishment of these outcomes can earn .5-1 points per year (two semesters) depending on the campus activity.
At a higher level of involvement in campus leadership, students will earn points by designing, successfully accomplishing, and documenting an IP˛ Challenge that enables them to demonstrate more specific criteria of an Information Power Squared standard:
The student with Information Power contributes positively to the learning community and to society by participating effectively in groups to pursue and generate information. The student
collaborates with diverse individuals--both in person and through technologies--to identify information problems; to seek, design, and develop their solutions; and to communicate these solutions accurately and creatively.
evaluates and prioritizes solutions that best serve the aims of the group.
Accomplishment of these outcomes can earn 1, 2, or 3 points per year (two semesters).
The IP2 Challenge summary is assessed by the IP2 Leadership Program Achievement Committee, made up of faculty, staff, and the Director of Assessment, using the IP2 Summary Assessment Rubric and must meet the criteria to receive points.
Students cannot receive more than 6 points in one activity, and they cannot receive both Campus Involvement points and Community Service points for the same activity.
Campus Involvement Activities
Campus Involvement Activities are weighted by the IP2 Leadership Program Achievement Committee and awarded consistently; that is, students participating either meet the criteria for full involvement or receive no points. Additional activities may be added to the following list; consult with the Director of Assessment, Crissie Grove, (cgrove@thomasu.edu) if you have questions.
Campus Involvement Activities include the following and will be weighted as follows:
*The two activities with an asterisk can be included as either Community Service or Campus Involvement.
IP2 Challenges for Community Service
To earn points in Community Service, students must demonstrate their ability to find, use, and share information effectively in the service activity in which they are involved.
As volunteers, they will earn points by designing, successfully accomplishing, and documenting an IP˛ Challenge that enables them to demonstrate the following Information Power Squared standards:
The student with Information Power pursues information related to personal interests and applies it. The student
independently seeks information that enriches his/her understanding of an aspect of the activity.
evaluates and conveys the information in a way that communicates its usefulness for the individual or for a group.
At a higher level of involvement in community service, students will earn points by designing, successfully accomplishing, and documenting an IP˛ Challenge that enables them to demonstrate more specific criteria of an Information Power Squared standard:
The student with Information Power contributes positively to the learning community and to society by participating effectively in groups to pursue and generate information. The student
collaborates with diverse individuals--both in person and through technologies--to identify information problems; to seek, design, and develop their solutions; and to communicate these solutions accurately and creatively.
evaluates and prioritizes solutions that best serve the aims of the group.
Students work with the Director of Assessment to design their IP2 Challenge using the IP2 Leadership Program Challenge Plan. They will determine a specific project that will enable them to expand their understanding and/or involvement in community service by seeking and using information. Through the plan, students outline what they will investigate and strategies for locating, evaluating, applying and communicating the information in ways that will be useful to the individual or the group. At the conclusion of the project, students will write an IP2 Challenge Executive Summary summarizing their information and experience.
The IP2 Challenge summary is assessed by the IP2 Leadership Program Achievement Committee, made up of faculty, staff, and the QEP Coordinator, using the IP2 Summary Assessment Rubric and must meet the criteria to receive points.
As community service volunteers, students can earn 2 points for every 10 volunteer hours as long as they accomplish and document an accompanying IP˛ Challenge as described above. Students cannot receive more than 6 points in one activity, and they cannot receive both Campus Involvement points and Community Service points for the same activity.
Community Service Activities
Community Service activities include the following:
*The two activities with an asterisk can be included as either Community Service or Campus Involvement.
Using the IP2 Leadership Program Tracking Forms, housed in the Director of Assessment’s office, the IP2 Leadership Program Achievement Committee certifies students’ completion of the program.